The present invention generally relates to electronic device communications. More specifically, the invention relates to machine-to-machine visual code generation and recognition for device communications.
Visual codes, such as bar codes and QR (Quick Response) codes, have been widely utilized to scan information embedded in the visual codes with a dedicated scanner unit or with a “smart” device, such as a tablet computer or a mobile phone that can be configured to execute a visual code mobile application.
A conventional visual code is typically printed on paper, which is either part of a printed material or is attached to an item. For example, many products sold in retail stores in recent decades have visual codes (e.g. bar codes or QR codes) printed on or attached to those products. These visual codes incorporate symbolized representation of product-related information, and are configured to be scanned by a bar code reader or a QR code reader at a store counter to expedite entry of the product-related information into a cash register and a transaction processing system.
Likewise, numerous advertisements in printed magazines, publications, or storefronts in recent years have embedded QR codes that contain Internet hyperlinks to promotional websites and product-related information, which can be scanned with a consumer's mobile device that includes a camera lens and a QR code scanning mobile application. The utilization of QR codes to entice consumers to research into advertised products and services with a simple QR code scanning action from the consumers' mobile devices is a popular marketing strategy that may improve the simplicity of access to advertising materials for consumers, instead of urging the consumers to enter hyperlinks and other data manually into the consumers' mobile devices for product research.
However, visual codes utilized in the market today do not include any novel applications in machine-to-machine communications. Even though conventional wireless network and communication protocols for home and office use, such as wireless local area networks (WiLAN) and Bluetooth, provide users with methods to configure and connect a plurality of electronic devices wirelessly, the users are typically required to enter, fine-tune, select, and modify a variety of hardware settings information manually on each of the electronic devices. For technically non-savvy users, configuring and establishing such device communications among a multiple number of electronic devices for home or office use can be a frustrating and time-consuming experience, which may even require hours of troubleshooting in some cases.
Therefore, it may be beneficial to provide a novel machine-to-machine (M2M) visual code generation and recognition method to simplify and/or automate hardware communication settings and configurations between two electronic devices.
Furthermore, it may also be beneficial to provide an electronic system that executes and enables the novel machine-to-machine (M2M) visual code generation and recognition method to simplify and/or automate hardware communication settings and configurations.
In addition, it may also be beneficial to provide one or more mobile applications that are executed on a “smart” webcam connected to a display panel and on a consumer's mobile device (e.g. a tablet computer, a smart phone, etc.) to embody the novel machine-to-machine (M2M) visual code generation and recognition method.